Brace Yourself for Thin Mints–Flavored Chickpeas

“Sort of like a bad chocolate pretzel,” reviewers have said. Photo: Biena

Biena is a company that makes a dozen varieties of roasted chickpeas in flavors like ranch, caramel, and, uh, Cinnamon Crunch. Needless to say, to learn about Biena is to learn about the unmitigated flavor possibilities of an ingredient most people just use for hummus. But even the Biena faithful perhaps did not see their newest flavor coming: Made in partnership with the Girl Scouts, the snack company’s new product is roasted chickpeas that are flavored like Thin Mints

One advantage the new snacks have over the traditional cookies is that they will be sold year-round, instead of the scant few months when real-deal Girl Scout cookies are sold. Another plus, apparently, is that Biena’s bags of Thin Mint beans contain just six ingredients, and they’re all-natural. (Real Thin Mints are baked by ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. Their recipes differ slightly, but both stretch beyond ten ingredients and involve artificial flavors.)

The product was a “happy accident,” Biena’s founder Poorvi Patodia tells the Washington Post, that occurred after someone in R&D made “peppermint-y” chickpeas (intentionally, it would appear). Long story short: Biena pitched the Girls Scouts on licensing the cookie name, and a deal was eventually reached.

Fun twist, though: Biena’s chickpea coating doesn’t use the Girl Scouts’ recipe. Rather, it’s a copycat that approximates the flavor. Maybe they’re good! If you’re still not sold on the idea, you can try them yourself when the eyebrow-raisers debut this June at — where else? — Whole Foods.

Brace Yourself for Thin Mint–Flavored Chickpeas